Monday, January 17, 2011

Spankie's Christmas Miracle

I have mentioned my "puppy" Spankie several times on the blog. We got her when I was a junior in high school- 14 years ago. The years have been tough on this little black dog- she had a hip replacement years ago and that combined with arthritis makes it very difficult for her to get around. It was sad to see her "lose her confidence" and be scared to even walk across the kitchen wood floor sometimes since she can easily lose her footing. My parents have placed rugs strategically throughout the house to help ease this process. Some days she does amazingly well and goes on a long walk; other days, she doesn't want to get out of the car.

About a week or so before Christmas, my parents told me that Spankie had been extremely sick for nearly 5 days. She had horrible gastrointestinal issues and had stopped eating. My parents think that she might have eaten some bad garbage on one of her walks or her roaming around the yard while my parents shovel. Things were looking very terrible for the puppy- like she might not make it before Christmas. But, fortunately, there was a Christmas miracle! She completely recovered from the illness- her appetite returned with a vengeance and she was demanding treats repeatedly from everyone and she resumed her barking for patting. It was amazing to see that my puppy knows me. She doesn't run to the door every time I come home like she used to, but when she hears my voice, she wags her tail and gets all excited and flips over onto her back to have her belly rubbed. She really has become part of our family- the 4th Stults daughter. It meant so much to me to be able to spend a week with her.

Our beloved, spoiled Spankie :-) We are so happy that you are a fighter :-)